Grand Reformation:
Tudor palace visited by Henry VIII is encased in 339 tonnes of scaffolding stretching 41 miles as workers replace 71,000 roof tiles after 175 years
- Workers are carrying out first major repairs on roof of The Vyne near Basingstoke in Hampshire since 1842
- About a third of the 17,222 sq ft roof of the home has been stripped off and a raised walkway built around it
- Staff had to pack away 3,319 historic objects including books, portraits and mirrors before work began
- The project is aimed at fixing a leaky roof and crumbling chimneys and will cost £5.6m and take 18 months
The Vyne near Basingstoke in Hampshire has been covered in 339 tonnes of scaffolding stretching for 41 miles as a team carries out the first major roof repairs on the 500-year-old National Trust property since 1842
A grand Tudor palace has been encased in a huge weatherproof shell while workers replace all 71,000 roof tiles.
The Vyne near Basingstoke in Hampshire has been covered in 339 tonnes of scaffolding stretching for 41 miles as a team carries out the first major roof repairs on the 500-year-old National Trust property since 1842.
About a third of the 17,222 sq ft roof of the home - which was once visited by King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - has been stripped off and a raised walkway built around it so visitors can get a bird's-eye view as the project unfolds.
About a third of the 17,222 sq ft roof of the home - which was once visited by King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - has been stripped off and a raised walkway built around it so visitors can get a bird's-eye view as the project unfolds
Staff had to carefully pack away 3,319 historic objects, including books, portraits and mirrors, before work got underway – and rotten timber will be replaced before the new handmade clay tiles are put on.
The Vyne has also been surrounded by scaffolding which will take 15 weeks to remove once the work is done. The project, which is aimed at fixing a leaky roof and crumbling chimneys, will cost £5.6million and take 18 months.
Assistant project curator Kathryn Allen-Kinross said: 'The Vyne's roof project is protecting centuries of history from the elements and has given us a fantastic opportunity to share the exciting conservation work with our visitors.
'They can experience first-hand what we do as a charity to care for properties like The Vyne and ensure that we preserve them for future generations to enjoy.'
The Vyne, at Sherborne St John, was transformed from a cluster of medieval buildings into a grand Tudor palace between 1500 and 1520 by William Sandys, who became Lord Chamberlain to Henry VIII in 1526.
Staff had to carefully pack away 3,319 historic objects, including books, portraits and mirrors, before work got underway – and rotten timber will be replaced before the new handmade clay tiles are put on
The Vyne has also been surrounded by scaffolding which will take 15 weeks to remove once the work is done. The project, which is aimed at fixing a leaky roof and crumbling chimneys, will cost £5.6million and take 18 months
Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn visited the former Tudor 'power house' in 1535 and there are moving tapestries and soundscapes to explore their trip on the ground floor, which is still open to the public.
The former monarch is pictured along with Catherine of Aragon and his sister Margaret in the stained glass window in the chapel, which is said to be among the most beautiful 16th-century glass that can be seen in Europe.
The property, which is now approximately a third of its original size, was in the Chute family from the 17th century until Sir Charles Chute bequeathed it to the National Trust on his death in 1956.
The National Trust said it is combining new technology and centuries-old practices to repair the property's roof and chimneys, with the highpoint of its 'Lifting the Lid' project being the 'all-access 360° rooftop walkway'.
The walkway looks down onto views of The Vyne's rooftops, with visitors able to see the tiles being, above interiors including the 16th century oak gallery, and the north lawn where Tudor buildings once sprawled.
Monthly visits from Oxford University geologists will also give visitors a chance to study the ancient roof materials, as experts work with archaeologists to understand how the mansion was constructed and then re-arranged.
Dendrochronology - the science of tree-ring dating - has identified some of the 16th century roof timbers as re-used stock, which are likely to have been from a 'lost' Tudor courtyard which is now hidden under the north lawn.
The Vyne property in Hampshire, which is now approximately a third of its original size, was in the Chute family from the 17th century until Sir Charles Chute bequeathed it to the National Trust on his death in 1956
The Vyne, at Sherborne St John, was transformed from a cluster of medieval buildings into a grand Tudor palace between 1500 and 1520 by William Sandys, who became Lord Chamberlain to Henry VIII in 1526
National Trust archaeologist Gary Marshall said: 'This is such an exciting time to visit The Vyne; we're finding out so much about how it was built and altered. We'll be sharing as many of these finds with our visitors as possible.'
Former owner Mr Chute is recorded to have said in 1872: 'The rainwater made its way into and through the house, which was necessarily made very damp, and wood work and pictures suffered in consequence.
'There were known to be some large drains, so search was made and at last they were all discovered and mapped. A boy crawled through them knocking as he proceeded in order to show his whereabouts.
'And at one time, to the great alarm of all and especially of himself, he was lost for some hours, but was then fortunately found and no harm happened to him.'
How The Vyne became a true Tudor 'power house'
It's been a home to lords and ladies for 500 years, visited by Tudor kings and used as shelter by wartime evacuees.
Now, The Vyne in Hampshire – which has also been lived in by a Speaker of the House of Commons – is undergoing a multi-million pound renovation project to help preserve its five decades of history.
A cluster of medieval buildings were turned into The Vyne (pictured above in this sketch in 1849) between 1500 and 1520 thanks to William Sandys, who became Lord Chamberlain to King Henry VIII in 1526, although the site is now only a third of its original size
The Vyne (pictured across the lake in 1849) was nearly made destitute during the English Civil War, before the sixth Lord Sandys sold it to Chaloner Chute, the Speaker. Mr Chute then reduced the building's size and modernised, with a classical portico added in the 1650s
A cluster of medieval buildings were turned into the Tudor 'power house' between 1500 and 1520 thanks to William Sandys, who became Lord Chamberlain to King Henry VIII in 1526, although the site is now only a third of its original size.
The Vyne was described as 'one of the Principale Houses in all Hamptonshire' and in 1535 it was visited by Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn, with moving tapestries and soundscapes in place today that help visitors explore their trip.
It was nearly made destitute during the English Civil War, before the sixth Lord Sandys sold it to Chaloner Chute, the House Speaker. Mr Chute then reduced the building's size and modernised, with a classical portico added in the 1650s.
Henry VIII (left) and his wife Anne Boleyn (right) visited the former Tudor 'power house' in 1535 and there are moving tapestries and soundscapes to explore their trip on the ground floor, which is still open to the public
This watercolour of The Vyne was painted in 1866 by Elizabeth Chute, William Wiggett Chute's eldest daughter. The Chute family largely continued to own it well into the 20th century, and it became a girls' boarding school in the 1920s
The Chute family largely continued to own it well into the 20th century, and it became a girls' boarding school in the 1920s before boys from Tormore School in Deal, Kent, were evacuated there during the Second World War.
It was then bequeathed to the National Trust after the death of Sir Charles Chute in 1956, and has been visited by thousands of people in the decades since who often walk along the lakeside and into nearby Morgaston Wood.
(The Mail, UK)
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